Methods for supplying fibrous insulating materials by injection under air pressure provide a generally economical method of insulating a desired space. Such methods are economical at least partly because relatively inexpensive fibrous materials such as cellulose, or mineral fibers, fiberglass and the like can be used, as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,487,365, 4,530,468, and 4,768,710, all of which are issued to Sperber and are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, and also because of the relative speed with which the insulation can be blown in compared with the installation of batt-type insulation.
In order to avoid or reduce the problem of nonhomogeneous density from such methods, the insulating fibrous material is typically admixed with a binder composition as described in the Sperber patents above. Unfortunately, most binder compositions used in the process of blowing-in fibrous insulation are generally water-based materials, and therefore may cause corrosion of any metals that may be present in the building structure that receives and holds the insulation material. Corrosion of metals in walls, floors, and/or ceilings of a building reduces their strength, and therefore is undesirable. In addition, adhesive property of most binder systems is derived from organic compounds, e.g., polymers. These organic compounds are flammable and create fire hazards.
Therefore, there is a need for a binder system which contains corrosion preventing and fire retardant properties.